Play Me - Revised

Chapter 11

"I've been sober for a year, now it's time for me / To go back to my old ways, don't you cry for me."
~ Faith by The Weeknd

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Summer White

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The men don't wait for another second to witness the upheaval I caused in the room. Instead, they turn and continue on their way. I follow pursuit unwilling to bear the consequences of my actions.

My heels echo in the halls as we make our way to the main event. I'm at least ten steps behind the three large figures leading the way. They know I'm behind them but they don't look back to confirm even once. I don't look behind myself to see whether someone is following me to avenge that boy's life either. I'm sure his father would be more than happy to continue the war Kai and I have begun.

I'm not naive. Kai might have used his words to declare the war, but I used my hands to cause the first bloodshed solidifying his words. Now that I think about it, I'm equally as culpable for this war as he is if not more.

As we make our way through the crowd, I can feel my stomach starting to ache. My teeth grind against each other as I gently pad around the skin of my stomach and feel the sharp aches. I'm now at least fifteen feet behind the men and as I look back, I can see the other men starting to join the ball not looking happy.

I'm not scared, but I'm not trying to stick around to see just how unhappy those men really are. Not in this state at least. As I continue walking, I pull the morphine from the pocket of my dress putting two pills in my palm before putting the container back in my pocket. I grab wine from a waiter's tray and swallow the pills quickly keeping an eye on everyone around me.

I notice Kai, Alec and Cole heading towards the exit so I follow entering the cold air of the night once again. Smoke leaves my mouth immediately as I exhale. Even though my feet ache, I manage to close the distance between the men and me to about ten feet again. We head down the path to, I'm assuming, the parking lot.

A few people are lingering along the path, but they don't say anything. They hadn't witnessed what had happened upstairs, but if they had, I bet they'd have a few words or more, to spare. When I spot two girls smoking on the side, I stop, staring at the cigarette perfectly positioned between one of the girls' middle and pointer fingers. I'm hypnotized at knowing just how badly I want to feel that head rush. The girls look at me confused until they realize what I'm staring at. Without a word, the brunette extends it to me.

"We have more," she says. I smile, taking it from her.

"Thanks."

"Don't sweat it. Between you and I, those men look like a lot to handle," she winks whispering the last part as if the men might hear us. They're too far out of range, but I can understand why she felt the need to take the extra precaution.

"Between you and I, they're actually just a bunch of pussies," I wink, and we all laugh. "Thanks again."

"Don't worry about it," the girl waves. The girl who was next to her smiles as I head off to the parking lot. I insert the poisonous stick between my lips and inhale. The head rush is immediate, sending a wave of calmness throughout my body and the second layer of goosebumps on my skin.

I walk at a snail's pace trying to take in as many hits as I can and delaying the inevitable as much as possible. Are they even waiting for me? Maybe I overestimate how much I mean to Kai, but judging from his behaviour, he needs me. I can see it in his moves. He always needs to be one step ahead. He never falters. He's cautious, at times too much. It shows his anxiety, his fear of the unknown and failure.